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NON  CIRCULATING 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  176 


THE  USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS 
IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS 


BY  H.  B.  DOENEE,  F.  W.  MUNCIE,  AND  A.  H.  NEHELING 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  NOVEMBER,  1914 


SUMMARY  OP  BULLETIN  No.  176 

1.  In  the  carnation  experiments  reported  herein,  increasing  applications  of 
dried  blood  in  amounts  below  that  causing  overfeeding  resulted  in  an  increased 
production  of  flowers,  with  a  slight  decrease  in  the  size  of  the  flowers  and  the 
length  of  their  stems.  Pages  369,  372-73 

2.  Small  applications  of  acid  phosphate  produced  no  consistent  results. 

Pages  370-71 

3.  No  increase  in  number  or  size  of  flowers  was  observed  from  applications 
of  potassium  sulfate.  Pages  371-72 

4.  Carnation   plants   produced   as   large   a   number   of   flowers   when   grown 
with  commercial  fertilizers  as  when  grown  with  natural  manure.  Page  376 

5.  The  amount  of  commercial  fertilizer  needed  to  produce  this  number  was 
moderate,  and  did  not  force  the  plants  to  the  point  where  there  was  danger  of 
overfeeding.  Pages  373-74 

6.  The  size  of  flower  and  length  of  stem  obtained  by  culture  with  commer- 
cial  fertilizers  was   the   same   as   that   obtained  by  culture  with  natural  manure. 

Page  377 

7.  Practically  the  same  percentage  of  strong  stemmed  flowers  was  produced 
by  the  use  of  commercial  fertilizers  as  by  the  use  of  manure.  Page  377 

8.  The  keeping  quality  of  the  flowers  was  not  injured  by  the  use  of  com- 
mercial fertilizers,  so  long  as  the  applications  were  not  excessive.     Pages  377-78 

9.  No  relation  was  found  between  the  source  of  plant  food   (i.e.,  commer- 
cial fertilizers  or  manure)   and  the  percentage  of  flowers  with  split  calyces. 

Pages  378-79 

10.  The  time  of  maximum  crop  production  was  not  dependent  upon  the  kind 
of  fertilizer    (whether  commercial  or  manure),  nor  upon  the  time  of  its  appli- 
cation. Pages  379-80 

11.  Ammonium  sulfate  in  proper  amounts  was  used  in  place  of  dried  blood 
with  equally  satisfactory  results.  Pages  380,  82 

12.  Eelatively  large  quantities  of  acid  phosphate,  with  a  moderate  applica- 
tion of   dried   blood,  instead   of   ruining  the   plants,   increased   the   number   and 
quality  of  the  flowers.  Pages  382,  84 

13.  Injury  from  overfeeding  resulted  from  the  excessive  use  of  potassium 
sulfate  and  of  dried  blood.  Pages  384-86 

14.  Conclusions.  Page  386 


THE  USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS 
IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS 


BY  H.  B.  DOENEE,  ASSISTANT  CHIEF  IN  FLORICULTURE 

F.  W.  MUNCIE,  FIRST  ASSISTANT  IN  FLORICULTURAL  CHEMISTRY,  AND 

A.  H.  NEHELING,  ASSOCIATE  IN  FLORICULTURE 

INTRODUCTION 

The  investigation  of  the  use  of  commercial  fertilizers  in  growing 
carnations  was  undertaken  by  the  Illinois  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station  with  a  view  to  determining  the  feasibility  of  the  complete  or 
partial  substitution  of  them  for  manure  as  a  source  of  plant  food  in 
producing  this  important  floricultural  crop.  Commercial  fertilizers 
possess  certain  advantages  over  farmyard  manure.  Chief  among  these 
are  the  definiteness  with  which  the  plant-food  content  and  its  solubil- 
ity may  be  known,  and  the  ease  and  cheapness  of  their  application  as 
compared  with  the  more  bulky  manure.  Some  disadvantages  in  the 
use  of  commercial  fertilizers  are:  the  lack  of  a  large  proportion  of 
organic  matter,  which  is  a  part  of  natural  manure  and  which  often  is 
needful  to  make  heavy  soils  lighter  and  sandy  soils  heavier ;  the  danger 
of  overfeeding  in  an  attempt  to  produce  extraordinarily  large  crops  by 
over-application  of  such  concentrated  fertilizers;  and  the  toxicity  of 
some  fertilizing  materials.  These  undesirable  features  bring  out  the 
necessity  for  careful  investigation  in  advance  of  the  general  use  of 
commercial  fertilizers  by  growers. 

The  increasing  difficulty  in  securing  natural  manure  in  sufficient 
quantity,  and  especially  of  good  quality,  to  meet  the  needs  of  the 
florists'  establishments  which  supply  the  demand  of  the  larger  cities, 
makes  the  study  of  this  subject  an  imperative  one;  and  even  where 
manure  is  obtainable,  the  possibility  of  using  some  one  commercial  fer- 
tilizer as  a  complement  to  natural  manure  opens  up  an  important 
phase  of  the  subject  for  investigation.  The  determining  factor  in  de- 
ciding whether  commercial  fertilizers  or  natural  manure  will  be  used, 
or  whether  the  former  may  more  successfully  be  used  to  supplement 
the  latter,  will  depend  in  large  part  upon  the  relative  cost  of  the  two. 
If  the  content  of  manure  be  considered  as  nitrogen  10  pounds,  phos- 
phorus 2  pounds,  and  potassium  8  pounds  (the  average  content  of 
manure),  and  the  value  of  these  elements  be  calculated  at  18  cents  per 
pound  for  nitrogen,  12  cents  for  phosphorus  (from  the  market  price 
of  acid  phosphate),  and  6  cents  for  potassium,  a  ton  of  manure  con- 
tains, on  the  average,  plant  food  which  would  cost  about  $2.50  if  pur- 

365 


366  BULLETIN  176  [November, 

chased  in  the  form  of  commercial  fertilizers.1  A  part  of  this  supply 
will  not  become  available  to  the  plant  during  the  season  in  which  the 
soil  is  left  in  the  benches.  Considering  this  factor  and  adding  the 
possible  value  of  the  organic  matter  present,  it  seems  probable  that  if 
good  farm  manure  cannot  be  purchased  for  less  than  the  figure  given 
above,  it  will  pay  to  use  commercial  fertilizers  wholly  for  the  purpose 
of  supplying  the  plant  food.  The  cost  of  labor  will  have  an  important 
bearing  on  the  use  of  the  one  or  the  other,  the  advantage  in  this  re- 
gard lying  with  commercial  fertilizers,  which  are  less  bulky  and  need 
to  be  applied  less  often. 

The  first  effort  in  the  experimental  work  at  the  University  of 
Illinois  has  been  to  determine  the  amounts  of  commercial  fertilizers 
that  can  be  applied  without  danger  of  overfeeding,  and  to  compare 
the  number  and  quality  of  flowers  produced  by  culture  with  these 
fertilizers  and  with  natural  manure.  In  addition  to  results  upon  these 
points,  a  partial  report  is  made  upon  the  kind  of  fertilizer  most  profit- 
able to  use  looking  forward  to  the  determination  of  the  best  formula. 

GENERAL  PLAN  OF  EXPERIMENTS 

In  the  first  experiment,  extending  over  three  years,  commercial 
fertilizers  in  various  proportions  and  amounts  were  applied  to  differ- 
ent sections  of  benches  in  the  greenhouse  and  the  effects  on  the  num- 
ber and  quality  of  the  flowers  noted.  In  the  second  experiment,  ex- 
tending over  two  years,  the  production  of  sections  treated  with  manure 
was  compared  with  that  from  sections  treated  with  commercial  fer- 
tilizers. The  following  points  were  noted  in  taking  the  records. 

1.  Number  of  flowers 

2.  Condition  of  the  calyx 

3.  Size  of  the  flower 

4.  Length  of  the  stem 

5.  Stem  strength   (1911-13  only) 

6.  Condition   of   the   flower 

The  data  gathered  upon  the  last  point  included  records  of  those 
flowers  which  went  to  sleep  upon  the  plants,  whose  petals  were 
crinkled,  which  opened  only  partially,  whose  color  was  darker  or 
lighter  than  normal,  whose  petals  were  streaked  with  darker  or  lighter 
colors,  etc.  No  one  of  these  conditions,  a  record  of  which  might  have 
been  valuable  in  case  of  a  widespread  occurrence,  was  general  enough 
to  allow  a  conclusion  to  be  drawn. 

SELECTION  AND  PREPARATION  OF  THE  SOIL 

The  soil  used  in  the  experimental  work  described  herein  was  of  the 
type  (brown  silt  loam)  common  in  the  part  of  the  state  in  which  the 
Experiment  Station  is  located.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  the  re- 
sults obtained  will  be  found  applicable  to  any  soil  upon  which  carna- 

irThe  plant-food  content  given  here  is  based  on  a  proportion  of  water  ap- 
proximating 75  percent.  Prepared  manure  often  contains  considerably  less. 
Its  value  as  a  source  of  plant  food,  however,  may  be  calculated  by  the  same 
method  as  above,  provided  a  guaranteed  analysis  is  obtained  from  the  manu- 
facturer. 


1914]          USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS  367 

tions  can  be  grown  satisfactorily  by  the  use  of  manure,  provided  the 
proper  physical  condition  of  the  soil  is  first  obtained  by  the  applica- 
tion of  lime  and  manure  in  such  amounts  as  are  needful  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

Selection  in  the  Field.  —  The  soil  was  a  well-drained  brown  silt 
loam  of  the  type  containing  the  following  elements  in  the  approxi- 
mate amounts  indicated:1 

5000  Ibs.  nitrogen 
1200 
36000 


s.  nrogen          -\ 

1200      "phosphorus     i     ^*  ff^L^* 
6000      »    potassium      J  (2,000,000  Ibs.) 


It  had  been  planted  to  corn  the  year  previous  to  its  use  in  this  ex- 
periment. Each  year  a  portion  of  the  field  20  by  100  feet  was  laid 
off  into  plots  measuring  4  by  5  feet.  Each  wagon-load  of  soil  brought 
in  was  obtained  by  taking  the  same  number  of  shovelfuls  of  soil  from 
each  plot.  Enough  soil  to  fill  the  benches  was  hauled  in  and  dumped 
upon  a  smooth,  bare  patch  of  ground.  The  whole  pile  was  then  turned 
twice  and  any  lumps  were  carefully  broken.  This  soil  formed  the 
basis  upon  which  the  experiment  was  conducted. 

Treatment  in  the  House.  —  The  soil  was  brought  into  the  house 
and  the  benches  (5  inches  deep)  were  filled.  After  this  a  straight 
edge  was  run  over  the  top  of  the  bench  in  order  to  get  as  nearly 
as  possible  the  same  amount  of  soil  thruout  the  bench.  A  weighed 
amount  of  manure  was  spread  over  the  surface,  followed  by  the  com- 
mercial fertilizers,  if  any  were  to  be  applied.  These  were  turned  un- 
der, hand  trowels  being  used  for  the  purpose,  and  the  soil  was  tramped 
down  into  the  bench  again  and  leveled  with  a  straight  edge.  In  case 
the  soil  wras  unusually  loose,  enough  was  added  to  level  it  up  to  the 
top  of  the  bench.  It  was  then  drenched  with  water  and  allowed  to 
stand  a  day  or  two  before  the  plants  were  set.  The  date  of  setting 
was  about  August  5. 

EXPERIMENT    WITH    VARYING    QUANTITIES    OF 
COMMERCIAL    FERTILIZERS 

During  the  three  years  1909-12,  an.  experiment  was  carried  on 
with  the  view  of  determining  the  effect  of  (1)  dried  blood,  (2)  acid 
phosphate,  and  (3)  potassium  sulfate2  in  combinations  of  various  pro- 
portions. In  addition,  a  comparison  was  made  between  sulfate  of  am- 
monia and  dried  blood  as  a  source  of  nitrogen,  and  between  acid  phos- 
phate and  rock  phosphate  as  a  source  of  phosphorus.  During  the  year 
1909-10,  2,088  plants  were  grown,  producing  during  the  seven  months 
during  which  records  were  taken  (October  to  April  inclusive)  33,597 
flowers;  in  1910-11,  2,088  plants  were  grown,  producing  30,547  flow- 
ers; and  in  1911-12,  1,392  plants,  producing  17,846  flowers.  The  ex- 
tent of  the  experiment  may  be  judged  from  the  total  number  of 
plants,  5,568,  which  produced  81,990  flowers. 

1  Cyril  G.  Hopkins,  Soil  Fertility  and  Permanent  Agriculture,  page  82. 
-Potassium  sulfate  is  also  known  as  sulfate  of  potash,  and  ammonium  sulfate 
as  sulfate  of  ammonia. 


368  BULLETIN  176  [November, 

During  the  first  two  years  of  the  experiment,  the  varieties  Beacon, 
Enchantress,  and  White  Perfection  were  grown ;  during  the  third  year 
White  Perfection  was  omitted. 

Two  houses,  each  28  by  105  feet,  were  used  in  this  experiment. 
Each  contained  1,600  square  feet  of  bench  space  capable  of  holding 
1,600  plants  set  1  foot  apart  each  way.  Each  bench  was  divided  into 
sections  6  feet  long,  and  on  each  section  a  different  proportion  of  the 
three  fertilizers  was  used.  The  experiment  was  repeated  with  each 
variety. 

For  convenience  in  making  comparisons,  the  various  treatments 
are  grouped  into  sets  of  three  sections  each  in  the  following  tabular 
statement.  It  should  be  kept  in  mind  that  thruout  this  bulletin  the 
amounts  of  fertilizer  are  stated  in  terms  of  pounds  per  100  square 
feet  of  bench  space.  In  this  experiment  each  section  consisted  of  24 
square  feet  of  bench  space  and  contained  24  plants. 

Sec.  1        Sec.  2          Sec.  3 

Dried  blood   4  Ibs.         8  Ibs.         16  Ibs. 

Acid  phosphate  and  potassium  sulfate,  1  Ib.    (per  100  sq.  ft.)  in  each  section. 

Sec.  7        Sec.  5          Sec.  6 

Acid   phosphate    1  Ib.          2  Ibs.  4  Ibs. 

Dried  blood  and  potassium  sulfate,  4  Ibs.  and  1  Ib.   (per  100  sq.  ft.)  respectively 
in  each  section. 

Sec.  7  Sec.  8         Sec.  9 

Potassium  sulfate    1  Ib.  2  Ibs.          4  Ibs. 

Dried  blood  and  acid  phosphate,  4  Ibs.  and  1  Ib.  (per  100  sq.  ft.)  respectively  in 
each  section. 

Sec.  13  Sec.  11  Sec.  12 

Dried  blood    4  Ibs.  8  Ibs.  16  Ibs. 

Acid  phosphate   1  Ib.  2  Ibs.  4  Ibs. 

Potassium  sulfate,   1  Ib.    (per   100  sq.  ft.)    in  each  section. 

Sec.  13  Sec.  14  Sec.  15 

Dried  blood   4  Ibs.  8  Ibs.  16  Ibs. 

Potassium   sulfate 1  Ib.  2  Ibs.  4  Ibs. 

Acid  phosphate,  1  Ib.   (per  100  sq.  ft.)  in  each  section. 

Sec.  19  Sec.  17  Sec.  18 

Acid   phosphate    1  Ib.  2  Ibs.  4  Ibs. 

Potassium   sulfate    1  Ib.  2  Ibs.  4  Ibs. 

Dried  blood,  4  Ibs.   (per  100  sq.  ft.)   in  each  section. 

Sec.  19  Sec.  20  Sec.  21 

Dried  blood   4  Ibs.  8  Ibs.  16  Ibs. 

Acid  phosphate   1  Ib.  2  Ibs.  4  Ibs. 

Potassium  sulfate 1  Ib.  2  Ibs.  4  Ibs. 

The  treatment  given  these  sections,  as  regards  the  method  of  se- 
lecting and  preparing  the  soil,  and  the  application  of  manure  and  of 
commercial  fertilizers,  has  been  described  on  pages  366  and  367.  By 
increasing  the  amount  of  one,  two,  or  three  of  the  commercial  fer- 
tilizers and  leaving  the  amounts  of  the  remaining  ones  constant,  it 


1914]          USE  OP  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS 


369 


was  possible  to  study  the  effect  of  the  different  constituents  and  de- 
termine the  one  most  needed.  If  dried  blood  is  the  fertilizer  most 
needed  in  the  soil  and  for  that  reason  the  growth  of  the  plants  is 
limited,  an  increase  in  the  amount  of  dried  blood  should  cause  a  con- 
sistent increase  in  the  flower  production.  Similarly,  if  acid  phos- 
phate is  the  fertilizer  most  needed,  an  increase  should  be  noted  in 
response  to  increasing  amounts  of  acid  phosphate,  or  the  same  result 
with  potassium  sulfate  would  indicate  a  deficiency  of  potash  in  the 
soil.  This,  at  least,  would  offer  a  simple  explanation  of  a  consistent 
increase  in  the  number  of  flowers  or  an  improvement  in  their  quality. 
But  whatever  the  explanation,  an  application  of  fertilizer  yielding 
returns  enough  larger  to  pay  for  its  cost  and  the  labor  involved  in 
applying  it,  with  a  good  percentage  of  profit,  is  a  good  investment. 
Only  the  average  results  for  all  the  varieties  grown  are  consid- 
ered in  the  discussion  of  this  experiment,  involving,  as  it  does,  a  study 
of  the  response  of  carnations  to  different  kinds  of  fertilizers.  It  may 
be  stated  at  this  point,  however,  that  in  general  the  results  of  each 
variety  followed  the  general  averages  given.  Beacon  seemed  to  show 
the  most  erratic  tendency  in  production,  while  White  Perfection 
seemed  least  responsive  to  applications  of  fertilizer  and  Enchantress 
most  responsive.  In  the  second  experiment  (page  373)  where  a  com- 
parison of  culture  methods  is  made,  a  separate  report  is  given  for 
each  variety.  In  that  set  of  data  is  again  seen  the  small  responsive- 
ness of  White  Perfection  as  compared  with  that  of  White  Enchantress. 

VARIATION  OF  AMOUNT  OF  DRIED  BLOOD 

The  results  from  Sections  1,  2,  and  3,  in  which  the  amount  of 
dried  blood  was  successively  increased  from  4  to  8  to  16  pounds,  are 
given  in  Table  1. 

TABLE  1. — EFFECT  OF  INCREASING  AMOUNTS  OF  DRIED  BLCOD  ON  NUMBER  AND 

QUALITY  OF  FLOWERS 

(Average   for  three  years) 


Section 

Dried 
blood 

Flowers 

Perfect 

Size 

Length 
of  stem 

Firsts 

Ibs. 

No. 

No. 

percent 

inches 

inches 

No. 

percent 

1 

4 

354.7 

291.0 

82.1 

3.06 

16.02 

249 

74.2 

2 

8 

368.8 

306.8 

83.2 

3.05 

15.81 

277 

81.8 

3 

16 

372.3 

316.9 

85.1 

3.00 

15.74 

297 

83.9 

The  term  "perfect"  used  above  refers  to  those  flowers  whose 
calyces  were  perfect  (the  remaining  number  or  percentage  being 
"splits"),  while  the  term  "firsts"  refers  to  those  flowers  the  strength 
of  whose  stems  was  normal. 

Using  the  letter  "  I "  to  indicate  a  consistent  increase  in  the  char- 
acter considered,  "  D  "  a  decrease,  and  "  ?  "  to  indicate  that  the  results 


370 


BULLETIN  176 


[November, 


did  not  show  consistently  an  increase  or  a  decrease,  the  results  may 
be  summarized  as  follows: 

Number   of  flowers    I 

Number  of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces I 

Percentage  of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces I 

Number  of  firsts   (stem  strength)    I 

Percentage  of  firsts  (stem  strength)    I 

Size   of   flower    D 

Length  of  stem    D 

The  significance  of  these  results  lies  in  the  fact  that  an  increase 
from  4  to  16  pounds  in  the  amount  of  dried  blood  applied,  caused  the 
number  of  flowers  produced  to  increase,  and  the  size  of  the  flower  and 
the  length  of  the  stem  to  decrease.  These  figures  are  the  average  for 
eight  sets  of  sections,  each  section  containing  24  plants.  Hence  the 
increase  was  nearly  one  flower  per  plant.  In  a  house  containing  1,600 
plants,  the  net  increase  would  amount  to  1,200  flowers,  an  increase 
worthy  of  consideration.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  doubtful  if  a  de- 
crease of  six-hundredths  of  an  inch  in  width  of  flower,  or  of  one- 
quarter  of  an  inch  in  length  of  stem,  would  be  at  all  noticeable  un- 
less careful  records  were  kept. 

Without  using  these  data  as  evidence  that  the  extent  to  which 
dried  blood  is  applied  to  carnations  has  any  effect  on  the  splitting  of 
the  flowers,  it  should  be  pointed  out  here  that  both  the  number  and 
the  percentage  of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces  increased  with  increas- 
ing applications  of  dried  blood.  It  is  hardly  reasonable  to  believe, 
then,  that  the  use  of  dried  blood  induces  splitting.  Further  evidence 
that  a  moderate  fertilization  with  chemicals  does  not  induce  splitting 
is  presented  on  pages  378-79. 

VARIATION  OF  AMOUNT  OF  ACID  PHOSPHATE 

The  results  from  the  three  sections  in  which  the  amount  of  acid 
phosphate  only  was  increased  (from  1  to  2  to  4  pounds)  were  as  shown 
in  Table  2. 

TABLE  2. — EFFECT  CF  INCREASING  AMOUNTS  CF  ACID  PHOSPHATE  ON  NUMBER  AND 

QUALITY  OF  FLOWERS 

(Average  for  three  years) 


Section 

Acid 
phos- 
phate 

Flowers 

Perfect 

Size 

Length 
of  stem 

Firsts 

Ibs. 

No. 

No. 

percent 

inches 

indies 

No. 

percent 

7 

1 

367.8 

286.6 

77.9 

3.10 

16.03 

334.5 

90.3 

5 

2 

357.5 

282.1 

78.9 

3.09 

15.83 

308.0 

89.2 

6 

4 

368.3 

298.7 

81.1 

3.06 

16.18 

310.0 

88.4 

19141 


USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS 


371 


Using  the  letters  indicated  on  the  preceding  page,  the  results 
may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

Number  of  flowers    T 

Number  of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces ? 

Percentage  of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces I 

Number  of  firsts    f 

Percentage  of  firsts D 

Size  of  flower   D 

Length  of  stem    f 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  results  as  a  whole  were  not  consistent,  and 
no  conclusion  in  regard  to  the  value  of  acid  phosphate  can  be  drawn 
from  them.  In  each  section  the  same  small  amount  of  dried  blood  (4 
pounds)  was  used.  Since  dried  blood  when  increased  did  produce  a 
consistent  increase  or  decrease  in  each  of  the  points  tabulated  above, 
and  probably  was  the  factor  which  limited  the  production  of  the  flow- 
ers, it  is  not  surprising  that  increasing  amounts  of  acid  phosphate  ap- 
plied in  connection  with  only  small  amounts  of  dried  blood  failed  to 
show  concordant  results.  What  effect  increasing  amounts  of  acid 
phosphate  would  have  when  used  in  connection  with  ample  quantities 
of  dried  blood  is  a  different  problem,  requiring  further  investigation. 


VARIATION  OF  AMOUNT  OF  POTASSIUM  SULFATE 

The  three  sections  in  which  the  amount  of  potassium  sulfate  only 
was  increased,  while  the  amounts  of  dried  blood  and  acid  phosphate 
were  kept  constant,  gave  the  following  results : 

TABLE    3. — EFFECT    OF     INCREASING     AMOUNTS    OF    POTASSIUM     SULFATE    ON 
NUMBER  AND  QUALITY  OF  FLOWERS 

(Average  for  three  years) 


Section 

Potas- 
sium 
sul- 
fato 

Flowers 

Perfect 

Size 

Length 
of  stem 

Firsts 

Ibs. 

No. 

No. 

percent 

inches 

inches 

No. 

percent 

7 

I 

367.8 

286.6 

77.9 

3.10 

16.03 

334.5 

90.3 

8 

2 

367.5 

295.2 

80.3 

3.07 

16.02 

315.0 

92.7 

9 

4 

363.1 

296.9 

81.7 

3.05 

15.99 

336.0 

94.5 

D 

I 

I 

t 

I 

Size  of  flower   D 

Length   of  stem    I) 

For  the  same  reason  as  that  given  in  the  discussion  of  the  results 
with  acid  phosphate,  the  results  here  would  not  be  expected  to  be  of 


Number   of   flowers    

Number  of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces.  .  . 
Percentage  of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces 

Number  of  firsts  (stem  strength)   

Percentage  of  firsts  (stem  strength) 


372  BULLETIN  176  [November, 

the  same  value  as  they  would  if  a  larger  amount  of  dried  blood  had 
been  used.  What  the  effect  would  be  in  that  case  can  only  be  deter- 
mined by  further  experiment;  these  results,  therefore,  do  not  prove 
conclusively  that  the  addition  of  potassium  sulfate  decreases  the  num- 
ber of  flowers  produced. 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  DRIED  BLOOD 

The  paramount  importance  of  dried  blood  is  shown  in  the  follow- 
ing combinations  of  commercial  fertilizers  by  an  increase  in  the  num- 
ber of  flowers  with  an  increase  in  the  amount  of  dried  blood,  whether 
or  not  the  amounts  of  the  other  fertilizers  were  also  increased. 

Dried  blood  only,  increased  No.  of  flowers 

Sec.     1.       4  Ibs.  dried  blood   354.7 

Sec.     3.     16  Ibsf.  dried  blood 372.3 

Dried   blood   and   acid   phosphate   increased 

Sec.  13.       4  Ibs.  dried  blood 

1  Ib.     acid  phosphate  361.2 

Sec.  12.     16  Ibs.  dried   blood 

4  Ibs.  acid  phosphate   377.1 

Dried  blood  and  potassium  sulfate  increased 

Sec.  13.       4  Ibs.  dried  blood 

1  Ib.  potassium  sulfate    361.2 

Sec.  15.     16  Ibs.  dried  blood 

4  Ibs.  potassium  sulfate   379.1 

Dried  blood,  acid  phosphate,  and  potassium  sulfate  increased 

Sec.  19.       4  Ibs.  dried  blood 

1  Ib.     acid  phosphate 

1  Ib.     potassium  sulfate   352.8 

Sec.  21.     16  Ibs.  dried  blood 

4  Ibs.  acid  phosphate 

4  Ibs.  potassium  sulfate    364.6 

Among  these  sections,  the  three  producing  the  largest  number  of 
flowers  ranked  as  follows : 

No.  of  flowers 

First :        Sec.  15.     Dried  blood 16  Us. 

Acid  phosphate    1  Ib. 

Potassium  sulfate    4  Ibs.  379.1 

Second :     Sec.  12.     Dried  blood 16  Ibs. 

Acid   phosphate    4  Ibs. 

Potassium    sulfate    1  Ib.  377.1 

Third:        Sec.     3.     Dried  blood 16  Ibs. 

Acid  phosphate    1  Ib. 

Potassium  sulfate   1  Ib.  372.3 

Section  21,  having  a  treatment  of  dried  blood  16  pounds,  acid 
phosphate  4  pounds,  and  potassium  sulfate  4  pounds,  gave  a  some- 
what lower  average  of  364.6  flowers  per  season.  This,  however,  is 


19 14] 


USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS 


373 


considerably  higher  than  the  average  of  the  adjoining  check  section 
with  which,  because  of  the  sameness  of  greenhouse  conditions,  it  is 
most  fairly  compared. 

The  average  size  of  the  flowers  from  the  four  sections  in  which  a 
heavy  fertilization  with  dried  blood  was  common  to  all  is  shown  in  the 
following  tabulation.  For  the  purpose  of  comparison  there  is  also 
given  the  average  size  of  the  flowers  produced  on  all  the  fertilized 
sections  and  of  those  produced  on  the  four  unfertilized  sections. 

Average  size  of 
flower,    incites 

3.00 
3.02 
3.02 


Sec.     3.     Dried  blood   16  Ibs. 

Acid   phosphate    1  Ib. 

Potassium  sulfate    1  Ib. 

Sec.  21.     Dried  blood   16  Ibs. 

Acid  phosphate   4  Ibs. 

Potassium   sulfate    4  Ibs. 

Sec.  15.     Dried  blood   16  Ibs. 

Acid   phosphate    1  Ib. 

Potassium  sulfate  4  Ibs. 

Sec.  12.     Dried  blood   16  Ibs. 

Acid  phosphate  4  Ibs. 

Potassium  sulfate    1  Ib. 

All  fertilized  sections  

Unfertilized    sections    


3.05 
3.05 
3.06 


It  is  evident  that  the  use  of  a  large  amount  of  dried  blood  was 
the  factor  concerned  in  the  production  of  smaller  flowers.  It  seems 
that  dried  blood,  up  to  the  limit  where  overfeeding  sets  in,  causes  the 
number  of  flowers  to  increase  and  the  average  size  of  the  individual 
flowers  slightly  to  decrease. 

In  connection  with  this  discussion  it  is  well  to  draw  a  compari- 
son between  the  average  results  obtained  from  all  the  fertilized  sec- 
tions and  those  obtained  from  four  sections  which  received  no  treat- 
ment other  than  an  initial  application  of  125  pounds  of  well-rotted 
manure  per  100  square  feet.  The  results  are  given  below. 

TABLE  4. — NUMBER  AND  QUALITY  OP  FLOWERS  FROM  FERTILIZED  AND  FROM 
UNFERTILIZED  SECTIONS 

(Average  for  three  years) 


Number  of 
sections 

Flowers 
per 
section 

Perfect 

Size 

Length 
of  stem 

Firsts 

• 

No. 

No. 

percent 

inches 

inches 

No. 

percent 

Four  unfertilized  

308.8 

226.0 

73.2 

3.06 

15.06 

283.2 

88.2 

Eighteen  fertilized  .  .  . 

364.1 

302.5 

83.1 

3.05 

15.03 

298.1 

86.1 

COMPARISON  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  AND 

MANURE 

Pending  further  investigation  into  the  value  of  acid  phosphate 
and  potassium  sulfate  used  in  connection  with  ample  amounts  of  dried 


374  BULLETIN   176  [November, 

blood  (or  some  other  fertilizer  which  supplies  nitrogen),  it  was 
thought  advisable  to  test  the  value  of  commercial  fertilizers  in  carna- 
tion culture  by  a  comparison  with  natural  manure.  For  this  purpose 
8  pounds  of  dried  blood  per  year  per  100  square  feet  of  bench  space 
was  chosen  as  representing  a  moderate  application  on  the  brown  silt 
loam  soil  used  at  the  Experiment  Station,  and  therefore  probably  a 
safe  one  on  any  soil  in  the  state.  Two  pounds  each  of  acid  phosphate 
and  potassium  sulfate  were  used  tentatively,  altho  investigation  has 
not  yet  shown  the  best  amount  of  either  to  use,  nor  even  the  necessity 
for  using  either. 

In  this  experiment  1,056  plants,  occupying  as  many  square  feet 
of  bench  space,  were  used,  two  benches  being  planted  with  White  En- 
chantress and  two  with  White  Perfection.  Each  bench  was  divided 
into  two  sections,  and  the  treatments  arranged  in  such  a  way  as  would 
tend  to  equalize  the  effects  of  unequal  temperature  and  illumination. 
The  following  diagram  indicates  the  arrangement  of  sections  in  the 
benches  used  for  either  variety.  Each  section  measured  4  by  33  feet 


Commercial  Fertilizer  Manure 


Manure 


Commercial  Fertilizer 


and  contained  132  plants.  Hence,  of  each  variety,  264  plants  were 
used  for  culture  with  manure  and  the  same  number  for  culture  with 
commercial  fertilizers,  a  total  of  528  plants  under  each  culture  method. 

FERTILIZATION  OF  THE  SECTIONS 

A  preliminary  experiment  was  run  during  the  season  October, 
1910,  to  May,  1911,  inclusive,  with  White  Enchantress.  At  the  end 
of  the  season,  the  number  of  flowers  produced  by  the  two  treatments 
was  as  follows : 

Culture  with  manure: 

Flowers  per  264  plants 3889 

Flowers  per  plant 14.7 

Culture  with  commercial  fertilizers: 

Flowers  per  264  plants 4084 

Flowers  per  plant 15.4 

In  this  experiment  the  culture  with  the  manure  was  as  follows: 

(1)  An  application  of  250  pounds  of  well-rotted  manure  per 
100  square  feet  was  made  before  the  plants  were  set  in. 

(2)  Liquid  cow  manure  (made  as  described  on  page  375)  was 
applied  at  the  rate  of  8  gallons  per  100  square  feet,  on  the  following 
dates:   December  21,  January  11,  February  18,  March  13,  March  27, 
April  4,  and  April  24. 

(3)  Mulches  of  sheep  manure,  at  the  rate  of  about  12  pounds 
per  100  square  feet,  were  applied  on  January  17  and  March  2. 

The  results  showed  a  clear  advantage  in  favor  of  culture  with 
commercial  fertilizers. 

In  1911-12  and  the  following  year,  the  applications  of  cow  and 


1914]          USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS  375 

liquid  manure,  and  of  sheep  manure  mulches  were  increased  as  des- 
cribed in  the  next  paragraphs. 

Manure  Treatment. — The  sections  under  culture  with  manure 
were  treated  with  an  initial  application  of  well-rotted  manure  (con- 
taining 44.4  percent  moisture)  as  follows: 

Per  100  sq.  ft.  of  bench  space 312.5  Ibs. 

Or  per  section   412.5  Ibs. 

In  addition,  these  sections  received  thirteen  applications  of  liquid 
manure  at  the  following  rate : 

Per  100  sq.  ft.  of  bench  space  13.6  gals. 

Or  per  section 18.0  gals. 

The  applications  were  made  on  the  following  dates  i1  November  3, 
November  25,  December  9,  16,  28,  January  12,  20,  31,  February  17, 
24,  March  20,  April  4  and  16. 

This  liquid  manure  was  made  by  allowing  %  bushel  of  fresh  cow 
manure  to  soak  for  a  day  in  50  gallons  of  water.  The  supernatant 
liquid  was  drawn  off  and  used,  after  which  the  barrels  were  refilled 
and  the  contents  allowed  to  ferment  for  about  two  weeks  before  being 
used. 

These  sections  also  received  mulches  of  sheep  manure  as  follows : 

November  13 :  Per  100  sq.  ft.  of  bench  space 11  Ibs. 

Or  per  section   (7473.1  gms.)      16.5  Ibs. 

December      2 :   Same  as  November  13 

March  2 :  Per  100  sq.  ft.  of  bench  space 7  Ibs. 

Or  per  section (4906.5  gms.)      11  Ibs. 

Commercial  Fertilizer  Treatment. — The  sections  under  culture 
with  commercial  fertilizer  received  an  initial  application  of  manure 
from  the  same  lot  as  the  preceding  sections,  as  follows : 

Per  100  sq.  ft.  of  tench  space  125  Ibs. 

Or  per  section  165  Ibs. 

This  was  applied  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  soil  mellow  and 
promoting  bacterial  action. 

In  addition,  these  sections  received  an  initial  application  of  com- 
mercial fertilizer  as  follows : 

Dried  blood  per  100  sq.  ft.  of  bench  space 2        Ibs. 

per    section    (1196.8  gms.)  2.64  Ibs. 

Acid  phosphate  per  100  sq.  ft.  of  bench  space   2        Ibs. 

per  section    (1196.8  gms.)  2.64  Ibs. 

Sulfate  of  potash  per  100  sq.  ft  of  bench  space 2        Ibs. 

per   section    (1196.8  gms.)  2.64  Ibs. 

On  November  1-2,  December  21-22,  and  February  13-15,  further 
additions  of  2  pounds  of  dried  blood  per  100  square  feet  of  bench 
space  were  made.  These  four  applications  constituted  the  entire  treat- 
ment, so  far  as  fertilization  was  concerned,  thruout  the  year. 

'Both  these  dates  and  the  dates  given  for  applications  of  sheep  manure  and 
commercial  fertilizer  are  for  the  year  1911-12.  During  the  second  year,  1912-13, 
the  selection  and  treatment  of  the  Foil  and  the  time  and  amount  of  applications  of 
manure  or  commercial  fertilizer  were  duplicated  as  nearly  as  possible,  the  date  in 
no  case  varying  more  than  three  days  from  that  of  the  previous  year. 


376 


BULLETIN  176 


[November, 


The  dried  blood  used  in  this  experiment  contained  13.66  percent 
nitrogen ;  the  acid  phosphate,  7.03  percent  phosphorus ;  and  the  sulfate 
of  potassium,  41.96  percent  potassium. 

COMPARISON  OF  NUMBER  OP  FLOWERS  PRODUCED 

A  comparison  of  the  number  of  flowers  produced  during  1911-12 
and  1912-13  under  the  two  treatments  is  shown  in  Table  5.  The  flow- 
ers were  picked  every  morning  (with  the  exception  of  Sundays  and 
holidays)  and  put  into  water.  Eecords  were  taken  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  same  day.  It  will  be  noted  that  in  the  total  production  of  both 
varieties  for  the  two  years  there  was  a  difference  of  only  four  flowers 
between  the  two  treatments. 

TABLE  5. — NUMBER  OF  FLOWERS  FROM  MANURE  AND  FROM  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZER 

SECTIONS,  1911-13 


Treatment 


1911-12 


1912-13 


Average 
1911-13 


White  Enchantress 


Manure : 

Flowers  per  264  plants 3400                 4612 

Flowers  per  plant     12.9                  17.4 

Commercial  fertilizers : 

Flowers  per  264  plants 3473                 4647 

Flowers  per  plant 13.1                   17.6 

White  Perfection 

Manure : 

Flowers  per  264  plants 3730                 4348 

Flowers  per  plant 14.1                   16.4 

Commercial  fertilizers : 

Flowers  per  264  plants 3778                 4200 

Flowers  per  plant 14.3                   15.9 

Both  Varieties 

Manure : 

Flowers  per  528  plants 7130                 8960 

Flowers  per  plant     13.5                  16.9 

Commercial   fertilizers : 

Flowers  per  528  plants 7251                 8847 

Flowers  per  plant     13.7                  16.3 


4006 
15.3 


4060 
15.4 


4039 
15.3 


3989 
15.1 


8045 
15.2 


8049 
15.2 


COMPARISON  OF  QUALITY  OF  FLOWERS 

The  data  on  three  of  the  points  noted  in  the  records  in  regard 
to  the  quality  of  the  flowers  produced,  viz.,  size  of  flower,  length  of 
stem,  and  percentage  of  flowers  with  normally  strong  stems  are  shown 
in  Table  6. 


1914] 


USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS 


377 


TABLE  6. — QUALITY  CF  FLOWERS  FROM  MANURE  AND  FROM  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZER 

SECTIONS,  1911-13 


Treatment 

Size  of 
flower 

Length 
of  stem 

Strong  stems 

White  Enchantress 


Manure 

inches 
3.22 

inches 
15.42 

percent 

88.6 

Commercial 

fertilizers    . 

3.22 

14.88 

87.5 

White  Perfection 


Manure                             

3.00 

I        15.63                   84.6 

Commercial  fertilizers    . 

2.98 

15.45                   84.5 

Both  Varieties 


Manure 

3.11 

15.52 

866 

Commercial 

fertilizers    . 

3.10 

15.17 

86.0 

With  each  variety,  the  size  of  flower  and  the  percentage  of  total 
number  with  strong  stems  were  practically  the  same  under  each  treat- 
ment. The  average  length  of  stem  was  about  %  inch  longer  under 
culture  with  manure.  The  data  in  regard  to  this  point,  however,  are 
not  so  accurate  as  the  others,  since  in  breaking  a  flower  a  picker  might 
occasionally  choose  any  one  of  two  or  three  nodes  and  thereby  cause 
the  stem  length  to  vary  as  much  as  three  inches. 

Effect  of  Commercial  Fertilizers  on  the  Keeping  Quality  of  Flowers 

The  statement  is  made  at  times  that  carnations  when  raised  with 
chemicals  do  not  have  a  keeping  power  equal  to  that  of  carnations 
grown  with  manure.  For  this  reason  records  were  kept  of  the  flowers 
raised  by  each  method  during  the  years  1911-12  and  1912-13. 

On  Monday  of  each  week  beginning  January  13  and  ending 
March  24  (ten  weeks),  twenty  flowers,  or  thereabouts,  were  selected 
from  each  treatment.  Care  was  taken  to  secure  normally  healthy  flow- 
ers of  that  day's  crop.  Only  strong-stemmed  flowers  having  no  im- 
perfection in  the  calyx  or  corolla  were  chosen.  The  stems  were  cut 
to  a  uniform  length  (12  inches),  and  the  flowers  placed  in  tall  vases 
in  the  flower  cellar,  which  was  kept  at  an  average  temperature  of  50° 
F.  The  water  was  changed  daily  but  the  stems  were  not  cut.  The 
figures  in  Table  7  indicate  the  average  length  of  time  that  elapsed  be- 
fore the  flowers  had  wilted  or  gone  to  sleep.  Records  were  taken  each 
morning. 

TABLE  7. — EFFECT  OF  MANURE  AND  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  ON  THE  KEEPING 

QUALITY  OF  FLOWERS 


Culture 

Number  of  days  between  picking  and  wilting 

1911-12 

1912-13 

Manure  

16.30 
15.97 

14.30 
13.70 

Commercial  fertilizer    

Difference    

.33 

.60 

378  BULLETIN  176  [November, 

In  this  experiment,  where  there  was  no  excessive  forcing,  the 
keeping  power  of  the  flowers  was  evidently  not  affected  greatly  by  the 
source  of  plant  food. 

During  the  year  1909-10  a  series  of  similar  experiments  was  con- 
ducted which  tested  the  keeping  quality  of  flowers :  (1)  when  fed  with 
a  small  amount  of  manure  and  no  commercial  fertilizers,  (2)  when 
fed  with  the  same  amount  of  manure  and  moderate  amounts  of  com- 
mercial fertilizers/up  to  twice  those  mentioned  on  page  375,  and  (3) 
when  fed  with  four  times  the  amount  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  fer- 
tilizers used  in  the  experiment  from  which  the  data  above  were  se- 
cured, with  the  same  small  amount  of  manure  as  in  the  other  experi- 
ments. The  following  results  were  obtained: 

TABLE  8. — EFFECT  OF  VARIATION  OF  AMOUNTS  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZER  ON  THE 
KEEPING  QUALITY  OF  FLOWERS 


Application 

Number  of  days  between  picking  and  wilting 

Nitrogen 

Phosphorus 

Potassium 

Average 

No  chemicals    .... 
Moderate    

10.0 
8.5 

9.6 
9.5 

'  9.9 
9.3 

10.7 
9.8 
9.1 

Excessive    . 

The  moderate  forcing  of  the  plants  led  to  a  slight  decrease  in 
their  keeping  power,  which  was  further  reduced  by  excessive  forcing. 
The  decrease  was  so  small,  however,  that  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  fear 
this  result  from  the  moderate  use  of  commercial  fertilizers. 

Relation  of  Feeding  to  Splitting  in  Carnations 

In  order  to  ascertain  whether  there  was  any  relation  between 
feeding  and  splitting  in  carnations,  a  record  was  kept  thruout  this 
experiment  of  the  number  of  split  calyces  that  appeared.  The  num- 
ber of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces  is  shown  in  Table  9. 

The  agreement  in  the  percentages  for  the  two  culture  methods  is 
clear  enough  proof  that  the  tendency  to  split  is  not  increased  by  cul- 
ture with  commercial  fertilizers.  Nor  is  it  decreased.  Indeed,  the  fig- 
ures offer  conclusive  evidence  that  splitting  has  no  relation  to  the  ma- 
terials from  which  the  food  supply  is  maintained.  The  series  of 
experiments  carried  on  from  1909  to  1912  with  Beacon,  Enchantress, 
and  White  Perfection  varieties  (pages  367-73)  gave  the  following 
results : 

( 1 )  Those  sections  to  which  only  a  small  amount  of  manure  and 
no  fertilizer  was  applied,  and  which  produced  an  abnormally  small 
number  of  flowers  (9.4  per  plant  for  seven  months),  averaged  73.2 
percent  with  perfect  calyces. 

(2)  Those   sections  to   which   was   applied   only   one-half   the 
amount  of  commercial  fertilizer  applied  in  the  experiment  described 
on  page  375  (and  which  produced  an  average  of  12.2  flowers  per  plant 
for  seven  months)  averaged  81.9  percent  perfect  calyces. 

(3)  The  average  flower  production  of  all  the  sections  to  which 


1914] 


USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS 


379 


fertilizer  was  applied  was  12.6  blossoms  per  plant  for  each  season  of 
seven  months.     Of  this  number  83.1  percent  had  perfect  calyces. 

These  results  indicate  that  when  plants  are  underfed  there  is  a 
somewhat  greater  tendency  for  the  flowers  to  split. 

TABLE  9. — NUMBER  OF  FLOWERS  WITH  PERFECT  CALYCES  PRODUCED  WITH  MANURE 
AND  WITH  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS 


Treatment 

1911-12 

1912-13 

Total 

White  Enchantress 


Manure  

3150 

4076 

7226 

Percent  of  total  

92.6 

88.4 

905 

Commercial  fertilizer   

3210 

4237 

7447 

Percent  of  total.  . 

92.4 

91.2 

91.8 

White  Perfection 


Manure  

3350 

3837 

7187 

Percent  of  total   

89.8 

882 

890 

Commercial  fertilizer   

3412 

3734 

7146 

Percent  of  total  

90.3 

88.9 

89.6 

Both  Varieties 


Manure     

6500 

7913 

14413 

Percent  of  total  

91.2 

88  3 

89  o 

Commercial  fertilizer   

6622 

7971 

14593 

Percent  of  total.  . 

91.3 

90.1 

90.6 

On  the  other  hand,  in  the  sections  where,  during  1912-13,  large 
quantities  of  fertilizer  (about  30  pounds,  in  weekly  portions)  were 
applied, — in  the  case  of  dried  blood  and  potassium  sulfate,  sufficient 
to  ruin  the  majority  of  flowers  produced  after  February  (page  385), 
— the  percentage  of  flowers  with  perfect  calyces  was  as  follows : 

Large  amount  of  dried  blood   91.8  percent  perfect 

Large  amount  of  sulfate  of  potassium   89.1  percent  perfect 

The  flowers  grown  with  moderate  amounts  of  fertilizer  averaged  84.3 
percent  with  perfect  calyces ;  those  grown  with  large  amounts  of  acid 
phosphate,  without  injury  to  the  flowers,  (page  384)  averaged  87.9 
percent  with  perfect  calyces.  These  figures  are  averages  for  the  varie- 
ties White  Perfection  and  Enchantress.  The  number  of  "splits"  in 
those  sections  receiving  a  moderate  application  of  ammonium  sulfate 
was  not  unusually  large. 

From  a  practical  standpoint,  the  fact  to  be  emphasized  is  that  a 
moderate  application  of  commercial  fertilizers  will  not  cause  an  in- 
crease in  splitting. 

INFLUENCE  OF  FERTILIZING  ON  TIME  OF  MAXIMUM  CROP  PRODUCTION 

The  profit  to  be  realized  from  the  sale  of  a  crop  of  carnations  de- 
pends largely  on  its  seasonableness.  This  is  illustrated  by  the  weekly 


380  BULLETIN  176  [November, 

schedule  of  wholesale  prices  for  the  year  October  1,  1911,  to  October 
1,  1912.  During  the  season  October  21  to  February  24,  the  prices 
averaged  $3  per  hundred  for  flowers  rated  as  "first  quality";  during 
the  period  March  2  to  June  15,  the  prices  averaged  $2  per  hundred ; 
and  from  June  15  to  October  14,  $1  to  $1.50  per  hundred.  This  even 
scale  of  prices,  however,  was  broken  by  a  sharp  rise  in  price  near 
Thanksgiving,  a  larger  one  at  Christmas  and  New  Year's  season,  and 
another  at  Easter  time.  The  higher  prices  at  these  times  are  coupled 
with  a  larger  demand,  and  the  florist  who  is  able  to  bring  his  carna- 
tions into  crop  to  meet  this  demand  can  realize  a  profit  some  hundred 
percent  greater  than  he  otherwise  could,  and  with  no  extra  amount  of 
stock.  The  occasional  experience  of  most  growers  of  having  few  flow- 
ers just  before  Christmas  and  New  Year's,  but  an  abundance  about 
the  middle  of  January,  when  prices  are  50  percent  lower,  is  an  illus- 
tration in  point.  For  this  reason  it  is  worth  while  to  study  the  vari- 
ous factors  which  control  the  time  of  maximum  crop  production. 

In  order  to  throw  some  light  on  the  feasibility  of  controlling  the 
time  of  cropping  by  the  application  of  fertilizers  either  at  a  certain 
time  or  of  a  more  or  less  concentrated  kind,  the  results  from  each  of 
the  two  different  treatments  used  in  this  experiment  were  averaged 
weekly.  Under  one  treatment,  as  stated  previously,  liquid  manure  or 
some  other  fertilizer  in  dilute  form  was  applied  approximately  each 
week;  in  the  other,  applications  of  concentrated  fertilizer  were  made 
at  four  periods  during  the  season,  and  approximately  eight  weeks 
apart.  Now  if  the  time  of  application  or  the  concentration  of  the 
plant  food  does  markedly  affect  the  time  of  cropping,  the  weekly  rec- 
ords of  the  two  series  should  show  a  marked  difference. 

In  Fig.  1  is  shown  a  graphic  representation  of  the  results  ob- 
tained with  White  Enchantress.  The  units  on  the  diagram  from  left 
to  right  represent  the  weeks  of  the  season  September  12  to  June  1, 
1912-13,  during  which  records  were  taken,  and  the  height  of  the  line 
each  week  represents  the  production  for  that  week.  The  solid  line 
represents  the  results  from  the  sections  treated  with  manure  (D- 
Sections),  and  the  broken  one,  from  those  treated  with  commercial 
fertilizers  (E-Sections).  The  curves  are  so  nearly  identical  that  it 
is  clear  that  the  time  of  maximum  crop  production  cannot  be  varied 
greatly  by  the  form  of  plant  food  used  nor  by  the  time  of  its  appli- 
cation. 

The  curves  for  White  Perfection  (Fig.  2)  show  a  more  nearly  even 
production  than  those  for  White  Enchantress.  The  time  between  two 
periods  of  high  production  is  the  same  for  both  varieties,  thirteen  to 
fourteen  weeks. 

USE  OF  AMMONIUM  SULFATE  AND  EOCK  PHOSPHATE 

That  ammonium  sulfate  in  proper  amounts  may  be  used  with  as 
good  results  as  dried  blood  is  evident  from  the  following  figures,  which 
show  the  average  production  of  flowers  of  the  varieties  Beacon,  En- 
chantress, and  White  Perfection  during  a  seven  months'  season  of  the 
years  1909-12. 


1914} 


USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS 


381 


382  BULLETIN  176  [November, 

1909-10  1910-11  1911-12 

Dried  blood  per  100  sq.  ft 4  Ibs.  8  Ibs.  16  Ibs. 

Number  of  flowers  per  24  plants 354.7  368.8  372.3 

Sulfate  of  ammonia  per  100  sq.  f t 3  Ibs.  6  Ibs.  12  Ibs. 

Number  of  flowers  per  24  plants 360.4  361.6  374.8 

These  figures  are  as  nearly  the  same  as  could  be  expected.  The 
quality  of  the  flowers,  judged  in  the  usual  manner,  was  about  the 
same  in  both  cases. 

The  production  of  flowers  in  a  similar  experiment  in  which  acid 
phosphate  and  rock  phosphate  were  used  as  sources  of  phosphorus  was 
as  follows : 

1909-10  1910-11  1911-12 

Acid  phosphate  per  100  sq.  ft 1  Ib.  2  Ibs.  4  Ibs. 

Number  of  flowers  per  24  plants 367.8  357.5  368.3 

Eock  phosphate  per  100  sq.  ft 4  Ibs.  8  Ibs.  16  Ibs. 

Number  of  flowers  per  24  plants 342.7  364.2  363.2 

Neither  the  results  from  increasing  the  acid  phosphate  nor  from 
increasing  the  rock  phosphate  showed  any  consistent  variation.  As 
stated  previously  (page  371),  these  inconsistencies  might  not  have  ap- 
peared if  an  ample  amount  of  dried  blood  had  been  present.  Until 
this  point  is  settled  by  experiment,  nothing  can  be  determined  in  re- 
gard to  the  relative  value  of  the  two  materials  supplying  phosphorus. 

EFFECT  OF  LARGE  AMOUNTS  OF  ACID  PHOSPHATE 

The  effect  of  applying  large  amounts  of  acid  phosphate  was  tested 
during  the  year  1912-13  with  White  Perfection  and  Enchantress.  To 
one  section  of  each  variety  there  were  applied  weekly  about  2% 
pounds  of  acid  phosphate  per  100  square  feet  of  bench  space,  and 
during  the  season,  8  pounds  of  dried  blood  (twice  the  amount  applied 
in  the  experiment  with  acid  and  rock  phosphate  just  considered)  and 
2  pounds  of  potassium  sulf ate.  The  ' '  check ' '  section  was  treated  with 
like  amounts  of  dried  blood  and  potassium  sulfate  and  a  single  ap- 
plication of  2  pounds  of  acid  phosphate.  In  each  section  40  plants 
were  grown.  The  results  are  given  in  Table  10. 

These  results,  obtained  from  one  year's  experiment,  mean  that  on 
the  same  basis  100  plants  of  Enchantress  would  produce  225  more 
flowers  by  these  additional  applications  of  acid  phosphate.  At  the 
average  value  of  carnations,  say  $3  per  hundred  (the  flowers  in  this 
section  were  of  the  very  best  quality),  these  additional  blossoms  would 
return  a  gross  profit  of  $6.75.  As  the  cost  of  enough  acid  phosphate  to 
treat  100  plants  in  this  way  (at  $15  per  ton)  is  56  cents,  the  net  profit 
would  be  $6.19,  or  1,000  percent  profit  on  the  investment  (the  cost  of 
labor  is  negligible  in  comparison  with  the  percentage  of  profit).  With 
White  Perfection  the  gross  profit  per  100  plants  producing  at  the  in- 
creased rate  would  be  $2.25,  the  net  profit  $1.69,  or  200  percent  on  the 
investment. 


1914]         USE  OF  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS  363 


OLJ 


001 


09 


Oh 


384 


BULLETIN  176 


[November, 


TABLE  10. — EFFECT  OF  LARGE  AMOUNTS  OF  ACID  PHOSPHATE  ON  NUMBER  AND 

QUALITY  OF  FLOWERS 


Treatment 

Flowers 

Perfect 
calyces 

Size 

Length 
of  stem 

White  Perfection 


'  '  Check  "  

No. 
597 

percent 
86.5 

inches 
2.91 

inches 
14.39 

Large  amount  of 

acid  phosphate  

628 

89.0 

2.95 

13.78 

Difference  .  . 

31 

Enchantress 


'  '  Check  "  

678 

82.1 

3.18 

14.55 

Large  amount  of 

acid  phosphate  \  

768 

86.8 

3.19 

14.42 

Difference.  .  . 

90 

The  flowers  grown  in  the  heavily  fertilized  sections  were  of  excel- 
lent quality.  How  they  compared  with  those  from  the  check  sections 
is  shown  in  Table  10. 

The  stems  of  the  plants  in  the  phosphate  sections  were  noticeable 
for  their  brittleness,  both  at  the  nodes  and  between;  they  were  re- 
markably rigid  and  had  a  large  diameter.  It  is  possible  in  this  case 
that  the  brittleness  was  due  to  the  deficiency  of  potash  in  the  fertil- 
izer in  comparison  with  nitrogen  and  phosphorus,  rather  than  to  the 
large  amount  of  phosphorus. 

DANGER  FROM  OVERFEEDING 

In  contrast  with  the  results  obtained  from  heavy  fertilization 
with  acid  phosphate,  marked  injury  resulted  from  like  heavy  applica- 
tions of  dried  blood  and  potassium  sulf  ate.  Two  sections,  one  of  White 
Perfection  and  one  of  Enchantress,  containing  40  plants  each,  were 
each  treated  weekly  with  2%  pounds  of  dried  blood  per  100  square 
feet  of  bench  space.  Two  similar  sections  were  each  treated  with  2% 
pounds  of  potassium  sulfate  weekly.  To  each  of  these  four  sections  an 
application  of  8  pounds  of  dried  blood,  2  pounds  of  acid  phosphate, 
and  2  pounds  of  potassium  sulfate  per  100  square  feet  was  made  in 
the  fall.  The  check  sections  were  the  same  sections  described  under 
the  preceding  heading.  They  received  only  8  pounds  of  dried  blood,  2 
pounds  of  acid  phosphate,  and  2  pounds  potassium  sulfate  during  the 
year.  The  first  application  was  made  on  October  4  and  the  last  on 
April  25. 

No  harmful  results  were  noted  before  about  the  first  of  the  year. 
On  December  16  the  various  sections  had  produced  flowers  in  the 
numbers  shown  in  Table  12. 

'  A  noticeably  larger  number  of  flowers  had  been  produced  in  the 
sections  fed  with  an  excess  of  dried  blood  than  in  the  check  sections. 
About  January  13,  however,  the  first  sign  of  overfeeding  in  both 
treatments  was  noticed,  when  the  petals  began  browning  at  the  edges, 
the  center  of  the  blossoms  did  not  open,  and  many  buds  remained 


1914]         USE  OP  COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS  IN  GROWING  CARNATIONS  385 

TABLE  12. — EFFECT  OF  EARLY  STAGES  OF  OVERFEEDING  ON  NUMBER  OF  FLOWERS 
Treatment  Flowers 

White  Perfection 


Excess  dried  blood  

No. 
264 

Excess  sulf  ate  of  potash  

238 

'  '  Check  "           

219 

Enchantress 


Excess  dried  blood   

242 

Excess  sulfate  of  potash  

209 

'  '  Check  "                 

218 

closed.  In  two  weeks  the  flowers  were  ruined,  hardly  a  salable  blos- 
som being  present.  The  plants  overfed  with  dried  blood  later  re- 
covered, but  those  overfed  with  potassium  sulfate  were  ruined  for  the 
season. 

The  point  to  emphasize  in  regard  to  injury  by  overfeeding  with 
dried  blood  or  potassium  sulfate  is  that  the  first  sign  is  on  the  petals 
themselves;  consequently  the  flowers  are  ruined  when  the  overfeeding 
is  discovered.  The  way  to  avoid  overfeeding  is  to  follow  directions 
strictly  as  to  the  amount  of  fertilizer  to  apply,  and  to  see  that  the  fer- 
tilizer is  weighed  out.  It  must  be  remembered  that  "  where  a  little  is 
good,  more  is  better"  is  not  applicable  to  the  use  of  fertilizers  in  the 
greenhouse. 

SYMPTOMS  OF  OVERFEEDING 

The  later  stages  of  injury  due  to  dried  blood  and  potassium  sul- 
fate are  quite  characteristic  for  each  fertilizer.  As  has  been  stated 
above,  acid  phosphate  applied  in  large  quantities  produced  no  injury. 

Flowers  from  plants  overfed  with  dried  blood  become  quite  soft, 
and  if  watered  overhead  during  sunshine,  will  show  brown  spots  on 
the  petals  where  a  drop  of  water  has  stood.  A  little  later  the  flowers 
are  characterized  by  a  peculiar  bunching  of  the  center  petals,  leaving 
only  a  double  row  or  so  of  petals  open  as  in  normal  condition.  Later 
buds  do  not  open,  the  flowers  remaining  stationary  after  the  petals 
have  shown  a  half -inch  above  the  calyx.  The  foliage  assumes  a  deep 
green  color,  with  abundant  "bloom,"  and  growth  is  normal  for  a 
time.  Continued  feeding,  however,  causes  a  retardation  in  growth. 
Carnation  plants  overfed  with  dried  blood  will  gradually  recover. 

The  injury  from  equal  applications  of  potassium  sulfate  is  more 
pronounced  and  more  persistent.  The  first  sign  of  injury  is  a  crink- 
ling of  the  edges  of  the  inner  petals,  some  brown  spots  appear,  and  at 
times  the  edges  of  the  petals  are  withered.  This  stage  is  followed  by 
a  stage  in  which  the  center  petals  fail  to  open,  being  glued  by  a  syrupy 
secretion.  For  this  reason  the  later  buds  never  open.  An  interesting 
abnormality  is  found  in  buds  thus  swelled  beyond  normal  diameter 
and  not  opened,  yet  with  the  pistil  projecting  an  inch  beyond  the  bud. 
In  addition  to  the  effect  upon  the  flowers,  the  injury  from  potassium 


386 


BULLETIN  176 


[November, 


sulfate  is  manifested  by  a  marked  retardation  in  the  growth  of  the 
plant.  The  leaf  tips  gradually  die,  but  the  leaves  altho  somewhat 
thinner  than  normal  develop  to  a  nearly  normal  width  and  length. 
The  internodes  of  developing  shoots,  however,  seem  to  lose  their  power 
of  elongation,  and  this,  coupled  with  the  nearly  normal  length  of  the 
leaves,  combines  to  produce  a  "rosette"  structure  (see  Fig.  3). 


FIG.  3. — "KOSETTE"  FORMATION  OF  CARNATION  DUE  TO  OVERFEEDING  WITH 
POTASSIUM  SULFATE 

CONCLUSIONS 

Experimental  work  of  a  character  extensive  enough  to  produce 
conclusive  results  has  established  the  facts  that  dried  blood  (or  in  its 
place  ammonium  sulfate),  acid  phosphate,  and  potassium  sulfate  may 
safely  be  used  in  the  culture  of  carnations.  On  the  brown  silt  loam 
of  the  corn-belt  area  of  Illinois,  nitrogenous  fertilizers  have  produced 
a  consistent  increase  in  production,  and  nitrogen  may  be  regarded 
as  the  limiting  element  of  growth.  There  are  indications  that  acid 
phosphate  (supplying  phosphorus),  if  used  with  a  nitrogenous  fer- 
tilizer, will  cause  a  still  further  increase  in  production  and  an  im- 
provement in  quality  as  well. 

The  quality  of  flowers  produced  by  culture  with  commercial  fer- 
tilizers, as  measured  by  size  of  flower,  length  of  stem,  percentage  with 
perfect  calyces,  keeping  power  and  strength  of  stem,  is  equal  to  that 
of  those  grown  with  manure. 

The  time  of  maximum  crop  production  is  independent  of  the 
kind  of  fertilizer  applied  and  the  time  of  its  application. 

Injury  from  overfeeding  results  from  the  excessive  use  of  potas- 
sium sulfate  and  dried  blood.  The  use  of  large  quantities  of  acid 
phosphate,  however,  seems  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  flowers  and  to 
increase  their  number. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

Q  630.7IL6B  C001 

BULLETIN.  URBANA 
166-181  1914-15 


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